Computerized bible

ABSTRACT

A portable electronic Bible includes a biblical text storage device, an input address device including a keyboard to facilitate rapid retrieval of selected text electronically stored within the text storage device, and an electrically operated character display screen. Additionally, the computer Bible is provided with illumination so that the display screen can be viewed under poor visibility conditions, while the screen is also adjustable to effect magnification of the displayed text when needed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to information retrieval devices, and moreparticularly pertains to a new and improved hand-held electronic Biblewhich permits a user to selectively view biblical text.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The use of hand-held electronic information retrieval devices is wellknown in the prior art. Such devices include electronic dictionaries,electronic calculators, electronic translators, and portable personalinformation storage and retrieval devices.

A good example of a prior art electronic information retrieval device isto be found in U.S. Pat. 3,781,809, which issued to Murakoshi et al onDec. 25, 1973. The device illustrated in this patent is designed toretrieve words from a dictionary, and the entire text of a dictionary isstored within the memory portion of a computer.

At least one patent has issued which is relevant to the subject matterof the present invention. In this respect, U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,196,which issued to H. Gonet on Apr. 24, 1984 and the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference, discloses an electronic Bible havingelectronic character display means, biblical text storage means, andinput address means for causing selected passages from the Bible to berapidly displayed during the course of and after the end of a religiousgathering. The hand-held computer and associated system is preprogrammedby the leader of the religious gathering by the entering of selectedbiblical passages into a selected command program store. The selectedpassages may be thereafter read out in sequence merely by touching asingle button during the gathering.

While all of these prior art electronic information storage andretrieval devices are functional for their intended purposes, it can beappreciated that the displayed text of a screen may be difficult forcertain individuals to read. In this respect, none of the prior artelectronic information storage and retrieval devices make provisions forvariations in size of displayed text, so as to accommodate the needs ofa reader, and it would appear that there is a continuing need for suchmodifications to these prior art devices. In this respect, the presentinvention substantially fulfills this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofelectronic information storage and retrieval devices now present in theprior art, the present invention provides an improved electronicinformation storage and retrieval device wherein the same is utilized tostore the complete text of the Bible and is further provided with anadjustable display screen which facilitates variations in size of thedisplayed text. As such, the general purpose of the present invention,which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide anew and improved electronic information storage and retrieval devicewhich has all the advantages of the prior art electronic informationstorage and retrieval devices and none of the disadvantages.

To attain this, the present invention comprises a portable hand-heldelectronic information and storage retrieval device which has thecomplete text of the Bible electronically stored therein. The deviceincludes conventional electronic character display means and inputaddress means for selectively addressing desired portions of the storedtext. The keyboard of the computer allows a user to indicate the textportions desired to be viewed and an appropriate depression of the"enter" button will then cause that portion to be displayed on thescreen. The computer is also provided with text scroll means whereby auser may move upwardly or downwardly through the text, and is alsoprovided with an internal illumination means to illuminate the characterdisplay means during times of poor visibility. Additionally, arectangularly-shaped convex lens may be selectively moved towards oraway from the character display screen so as to magnify or demagnify, asdesired, the displayed text. This feature facilitates a use of thedevice by individuals having poor eye sight.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course,additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafterand which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon whichthis disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for thedesigning of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out theseveral purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore,that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructionsinsofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application. The abstract is neither intended to define theinvention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is itintended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved electronic information storage and retrieval device which hasall the advantages of the prior art electronic information storage andretrieval devices and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved electronic information storage and retrieval device which maybe easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved electronic information storage and retrieval device which is ofa durable and reliable construction.

An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved electronic information storage and retrieval device which issusceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materialsand labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices ofsale to the consuming public, thereby making such electronic informationstorage and retrieval devices economically available to the buyingpublic.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a newand improved electronic information storage and retrieval device whichprovides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of theadvantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of thedisadvantages normally associated therewith.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved electronic information storage and retrieval device whichprovides for the electronic viewing of the complete text of the Bible.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved electronic information storage and retrieval device whichallows for variations in size of the displayed text on a characterdisplay screen.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with thevarious features of novelty which characterize the invention, arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptivematter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electronic Bible comprising thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the operable components of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1 thereof,a new and improved portable hand-held electronic information storage andretrieval device embodying the principles and concepts of the presentinvention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will bedescribed.

More specifically, it will be noted that the electronic Bible 10includes a conventional housing 12 having an electronic informationdisplay screen 14 and keyboard 16. The keyboard 16 includes all of theletters of the alphabet and the numbers 0 to 9. The internal electronicmemory is sized to store the complete text of the Bible, with such textbeing selectively displayed on the character display screen 14 in aconventional manner. In this regard, the user can type in the name ofthe chapter and verse he desires to view and through an appropriatedepression of the "enter" key 18, that portion of the biblical text willbe displayed on the screen 14.

Once the beginning of a biblical text section is displayed on the screen14, a user of the device 10 can depress a first button 20 to scrolldownwardly through the text during a reading thereof. If it is desiredto move back upwardly through the text or through material previouslyread, a depression of the scroll button 22 will accomplish this result.During periods of low visibility, such as under conditions of poorlighting, a user can depress the button 24 to activate an internalillumination means. The internal illumination means illuminates thecharacter display screen 14, thereby to facilitate an easier viewing ofthe text displayed thereon.

FIG. 2 of the drawings illustrates the basic electronic components forfunctionally operating the invention. In this regard, a text storagemeans 32 is used to magnetically store the information made available toa user, and an address means 34 is operable to retrieve the informationand provide it to a text scroll means 36. The text scroll means providesthe information to the display screen 14, while an illumination means 38is utilized to illuminate the display screen 14. The basicrepresentation of the invention illustration in FIG. 2 is to be taken incombination with the disclosure incorporated by reference from U.S. Pat.No. 4,445,196 as priorly discussed.

As can be appreciated, different users have different readingcapability, which could result in the need for some readers to haveenlarged text. By the same token, people suffering from poor eyesightcan also benefit from a capability to increase the displayed text size,and in this connection, the conventional display screen 14 is recessedwithin a rectangular opening 26 and is covered by a telescopinglymovable rectangularly-shaped convex lens 28. The lens 28 is slidablyretained within the recess 26 and may be moved towards or away from theconventional display screen 14 through an appropriate clockwise orcounterclockwise rotation of the knob 30. This of course facilitates themagnification or demagnification of displayed text to accommodate theneeds of the reader.

With respect to the manner of usage and operation of the presentinvention, the same should be apparent from the above description.Accordingly, no further discussion regarding the usage and operation ofthe invention will be provided.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized thatthe optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, toinclude variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and mannerof operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obviousto one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to thoseillustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

What is claimed as being new and desired to be protected by LETTERSPATENT of the United States is as follows:
 1. A new and improvedelectronic information storage and retrieval device having the completetext of the Bible stored therein, said device including:biblical textstorage means contained within a housing means; electronic characterdisplay means mounted on said housing means; input address means forcausing selected portions of said biblical text to be displayed on saidelectronic character display means; and illumination means for effectinga selective illumination of said electronic character display meansduring times of poor visibility, and further including text scroll meansoperatively associated with said text storage means for directinginformation derived from said text storage means onto said electroniccharacter display means and permit a reader to move upwardly anddownwardly through said biblical text, and further including textmagnification means, and wherein said text magnification means includesa convex lens mounted within said housing telescopingly movable towardsand away from said electronic character display means.